Princess Link
by jjflipwhatthezip
Summary: When the King of Red Lions finds Link floating in the Great Sea after being tossed from the Forsaken Fortress by the great Helmaroc King, the ship gets a crazy idea. Instead of going on a long quest for glowy pearls and all that nonsense... why not just bring Zelda right to Ganon? Role reversal and crazy antics ahoy in this fanfiction based on the Wind Waker!
1. A Princess is Born

Link would have had a lot to think about as he bobbed in the middle of the ocean completely alone, if he were conscious, that is. He maybe would have thought about Aryll, about his Grandmother, about home, about how he may not ever see these things again, he may have encountered a newfound hope after these realizations, and he may have tried to find a way to safety, to find a way out of this terrible situation.

But unfortunately Link could not think about any of these things, due to his unconsciousness. Being lobbed what had to be at least a mile does that do a person, especially a young boy such as Link.

No, he didn't think about any of these aforementioned topics, but instead in his unconsciousness he dreamed. Or rather, had nightmares.

He remembered one moment, a split second before he was thrown face first into the endless briny blue. The eyes.

The eyes that stared him in the face and gave the bird the order to toss the boy so carelessly into the ocean. The true eyes of a demon, no, not just a demon, but of evil incarnate itself. In his dream he saw nothing but those eyes, burning his mind with their pointed stare. Nothing but those eyes. Nothing but pain. Pain and silence. No one was going to help him.

"LINK!"

The eyes started to shrink away, and in his dream Link stumbled through the darkness, trying to find this voice, his salvation, that was calling out to him.

"LINK! WAKE UP, CHILD!"

Link woke up with a start, still groggy and weak from being tossed around on the ocean all night. But he wasn't in the ocean anymore. He was sitting in a boat (a dinghy, really), in a small, wet cave. He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but no one was there.

"Link! At last you're awake!"

Suddenly the boat itself turned its head, which was the shape of a red dragon, and smiled at Link coyly. Link, extremely frightened, jumped back and gave a high-pitched squeal of absolute terror.

"Calm down, boy! I will not hurt you! Yes, I am a boat, but nobody's perfect." The boat said. "I am the King of Red Lions!"

Link nodded nervously in reply. He still didn't trust the boat because I mean it's a boat, let's be real here, if a boat started talking to you, you wouldn't trust it either at first.

"Now sit back and listen, lad, because we have a lot of work to do and a short time to do it." Stated the King.

Link made himself comfortable in the back of the boat, as far away as the creepy talking boat head as possible. The King of Red Lions cleared its throat.

"Ready?" Link nodded. "Okay. So we don't have much time so I'm just going to cut to the chase here. The man who ordered the kidnapping of your sister's name is Ganon. He is the ultimate evil in the world who has plagued generations and so on and so forth. Basically he's the devil and you're going to fight him.

Link cringed. How could a boat have such ridiculously high expectations of a preteen within the first five minutes of their meeting? He hesitantly listened on.

"Originally," the boat continued, "I was going to have you go on this somewhat long coming of age journey where you collect a couple spheres and help people and stuff but I mean that's really a big waste of everyone's time, and I thought up a better idea. Here's the deal. I'm actually the King of Hyrule. My spirit lived on in boat form because I'm magical like that and not even death can stop me."

Link had no idea how to respond to this.

"The reason Ganon kidnapped your sister, I'm sure you know, is because he is looking for pointy-eared girls. He is looking for pointy-eared girls because he is looking for Princess Zelda, who holds the Triforce of Wisdom. He needs all three pieces of the Triforce so he can have his wishes granted and drown the world in darkness. Oh, also the past kingdom of Hyrule was drowned in the ocean by the goddesses when the evil returned and yaddah yaddah blah blah blah. Got it?"

Link had most certainly not gotten it, but for the audience's sake, who most likely will get it, because I'm sure you, reader, have played Wind Waker, and if you haven't, why are you reading this Wind Waker fanfiction? Go play Wind Waker first. I give you permission.

"So. Instead of going around collecting pearls of various deities, I came up with a better idea. We're not going to waste Ganon's time. We're going to deliver Princess Zelda right to him."

Link was confused. Didn't they want to prevent Ganon from getting Princess Zelda? If Ganon gets his hands on the Princess, then he gets that much closer to getting the Triforce, his wish, and the end of all things as we know it. So this didn't really make sense to Link at all, for good reason. Also, it's not like they have immediate access to Zelda right now anyway.

"And by Zelda…" the ship said, "I mean YOU."

Link stared blankly at the King of Red Lions.

"Ah." Responded the King, "I can see why that sentence would be baffling in a lot of ways."

The ship opened a compartment on its deck, and Link peered inside. There was an elegant pink and magenta dress adorned with beautiful gold ornaments, two arm-length gloves, two pink high heel shoes, a golden tiara with a pink crystal in the middle, a make-up kit, a blonde wig, and a mirror. Link quickly put two and two together. He hesitantly picked up the dress and held it up to himself. It seemed to be just the right size. He gulped.

"That's right, Link. You will dress up like Princess Zelda, and slay Ganon while he is unsuspecting. It is a much better plan that what I had previously schemed. Before I went boatkind, I swiped this dress from my daughter's room in my incredible foresight. Luckily, she was about the same age as you are now, and just about the same size! I also took some makeup, and since wig making is one of my nearest and dearest hobbies, I made that fine piece in my spare time. Anyway, what are you waiting for, time to get dressed! Don't worry, I won't peek."

The King turned around and close his eyes, leaving Link to get dolled up. Link, although quite the smart individual, was somewhat easily manipulated, and so, thinking of his sister, he decided this really was the easiest way. He was secure in his gender, anyway, so he really had no problem with it. It was a much bigger deal that this beautiful gown belonged to a long-dead princess, but he got over that shock momentarily also.

Link quickly stripped down to just his tights, and laid his green getup nicely in the ship's compartment. He then carefully unzipped the back of the dress and stepped inside. With a little difficulty he reached around and zipped it back up again. It was a perfect fit. He gently put the wig on his head, making sure not to get it all frizzy, and gracefully placed the tiara upon it. He then set up the mirror and carefully did his makeup, including pale foundation, pink blush, pink lipstick, eyeliner, and blue eyeshadow. It's a good thing Aryll had taught him a thing or two. He had worn his fair share of dresses in the past, as well. Dress-up was one of his favorite games with Aryll. It's a small island, can you really blame him?

Link finally put on the long, white gloves and stepped into the high heels and looked at himself in the mirror.

He was… beautiful. There was no doubt about it. He didn't resemble Link anymore in the slightest. He WAS Princess Zelda. Not even his grandmother would have recognized him. Seeing himself as the Princess, wearing the dress, feeling so elegant and royal felt somehow natural to him. Like he was meant to wear the dress all along, or some other obvious expositional plot device evocative of destiny.

"You look stunning, boy." Said the ship. "Now let's set sail! To the Forsaken Fortress we go! And of course I have a sail! Of course I have a sail! Can you imagine how silly it would be if I was a sailboat without a sail?! Onward, ho!"

Link dug the sail out of the ship's compartment, being careful not to get his dress messed up, and they set sail to the northwest, on to his destiny, whatever that may held. Who knew that this quest could be so short? Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Link looked out on the sea with a new sense of newborn hope, brought on by the dress. He felt like a true Princess. And deep down, that is what he always wanted to be. Nothing could stand in his way. Not even the King of Evil himself. Watch out, Ganon, here comes Princess Link.


	2. Bird Bait

By nightfall Link and the King at last reached the Forsaken Fortress. The duo hid behind a rock, out of sight of the searchlights piloted by bokoblins. The Fortress' tall, jagged spires looked no less intimidating to Link than the last time he was here. But this time was different. They had a plan this time. A real plan. Or so he hoped. It was a better plan that last time, at least? Or was it, really?

"HEY!" The King snapped, breaking Link out of his stupor of fear. "Wake up, kid! We have work to do!"

Link shook his head and stood up, adjusting his dress and his wig, making sure he looked just so. He had to look like a princess, after all.

"Alright." The ship continued, once Link was ready. "Now, there's no way we're going to get in there without a cannon or something, so I'm afraid infiltration is out of the question. But don't worry. I have an idea."

Link gulped. Going by the King's trend of crazy, improbable plans, he honestly didn't know what to expect.

"We're just going to go right up there and get caught. You're a pointy-eared girl. Or, at least dressed as one. You're in traditional Hylian royal garb. The bird will come right for you for sure. You're exactly what Ganon is looking for."

Link's heart beat at a record pace in his chest. He really wish he didn't have to face that bird again, or even worse, the eyes of Ganon, the ones that had scarred him so and given him such dreadful nightmares. Being in a dress was the least of his problems, compared to having to see those eyes again.

"Just tell me when you're ready, boy." The King said. "And Link? You're extremely brave for doing this. Truly an act of absolute, unadulterated courage. I don't think anyone else would have done this, really. Your sister is lucky to have you. Judging by this act, I'd say you're worthy to be a real princess."

Link smiled. He let the words sink in. They really inspired him. Deep down, he really needed them. Hearing that this act would bring him closer to being a real princess made him somehow eager to do it. All fears seeped out of him as he struck the most princessly pose possible. He felt elegant, beautiful, ready to lead a kingdom, even.

The ship smiled at this gesture. "I'll take that as the ready. Let us press on, princess."

As the ship slowly cruised toward the nearest searchlight, Link put one high-heeled foot on the edge of the boat, letting his dress and his wig blow in the breeze. He had never felt so epic in his life.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!" the King cried out in a gruff manner, grabbing the attention of the bokoblin guards.

Suddenly, all three searchlights were on them. Link's heart beat faster and faster in his chest, but he didn't dare break his pose. To break the pose would be to give into fear, after all.

First, the grunts of minions chattering was heard, then, the alarm sounded, but none of that compared to the screech that the great bird himself, the Helmaroc King, gave. The call of the bird was such a massacre of song, of sound itself, that it seemed to split the sky open. Before Link could even recover, the bird had snatched him into the air.

Both of Link's gloved hands were secured tightly to his scalp, desperately trying to keep his wig from going flying into the ocean.

He allowed himself to scream.

After a brief horrific bout of tossing and turning through the air, trying to hold down his lunch, Link ended up in the same place he was at that fateful, nightmare-inducing moment. In the Helmaroc King's claws, on display for the King of Evil himself.

He kept his eyes sealed shut. He dared not to look into Ganon's eyes. But he had to. Just for a second. It's what a princess would do, right? He slowly managed to pry them open, and what he saw… was different.

Ganon's eyes were burning with curiosity. Not hatred, like they were before. It looked almost like… disbelief. Link felt self-conscious as Ganon studied him. He begged to the Goddesses that everything was in place. Then Ganon smiled an evil smile, and Link knew…

The illusion had worked.

Ganon nodded to the bird, and the bird responded by setting Link down delicately on the deck and flew away.

Link quickly got to his feet, wiped countless amounts of dirt off of his dress, and recoiled from Ganon. He tried to be brave, but he couldn't help it. Ganon had this aura about him that made his very skin crawl.

"At last I've found you…" Ganon said as he slowly approached the boy. "Princess Zelda!"

Link's heart jumped. Once again, he found comfort in being called a princess. He stood up as straight as he could, trying to look as regal as possible.

But it was no use. His courage disappeared as Ganon lunged forward and grabbed Link by the arm, hoisted him up as if he weighed nothing, and inspected his satin-gloved left hand.

"Wait… what's this?" Ganon paused. "No, this can't be right… No Triforce? Where's the Triforce of Wisdom? This can't be!"

Ganon threw the boy to the ground, and Link landed on his rear with a "thud." The robed man paced back and forth, thinking in a panicked manner. Link stood again, lifting up his skirt a little, in case he had to evade Ganon's grasp.

"But you're definitely Princess Zelda!" Ganon said, suddenly turning to the boy, "There's no doubt about it! You're definitely from the royal bloodline!"

Frustrated, Ganon grabbed him once again. Link's evasive maneuvers were no use. The King of Evil was simply too quick. Impossibly quick.

The King dragged him down his tower, down into the dungeon, Link feeling the bump of every single step as he tried to struggle free. Fearful tears streamed down his face. He knew this was it. He knew he was going to die. He would never get to see his Grandma again, or Aryll, or anybody on Outset Island ever again. He was just about to say his goodbyes.

Ganon held the boy up by the neck, at eye level. This times, the eyes of the demon were burning with hatred once again. Their fire burned into Link's skull.

"Princess, I know not what your game is." Ganon threatened, making sure to enunciate every consonant. He wasn't messing around. "I know not why you have no Triforce of Wisdom. But I will find out. Mark my words. And when I do, when I seize that wretched power from you, I will destroy everything you hold dear. And until I do, you will not leave this cell. Now go wallow with the other pathetic prisoners."

Link tried to choke out a response, anything at all, but Ganon tossed him into the cell, and he hit the floor with the force of a cannon ball, and he faded into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard was the wooden door of the cell slam shut.


	3. A New Strategy

Tetra lay wide awake on her cabin bed, contemplating her next move. Because of this contemplative, analytical mood, she felt the urge to ponder. She gave into this urge. She rolled onto her side and examined the walls of her small room. Various mysterious drawings covered the cabin.

There was an artist's depiction of the Triforce, which everybody knew about from the countless legends revolving around its mystical power. Next to that, a drawing of a green-clad hero, about her age, wind blowing around him, sword held skyward. She recognized him, although she knew little about him. Just like the Triforce, he had only been spoken of in legends. She knew he was a hero, a hero that had saved the world perhaps more than once. But that's all she knew. It was all anyone knew.

She felt strangely close to these two legendary entities, for reasons she was not quite sure. Perhaps she felt inspired by the heroic ideals that they upheld? Perhaps she aspired to be just as heroic as the lad in green himself. Perhaps she coveted the Triforce and the all-powerful wish that came with possessing it. Or maybe she just felt attached to the drawings, having inherited them from her mother.

Her mother…

The final piece of art was one of her mother herself. She was a hard-faced woman with dark hair, wearing an elegant robe that might have been stolen from a princess. Tetra liked to think of her mother as the most feared pirate of the Great Sea. Tetra had never known her mother, after all. Perhaps she wasn't fearsome, however, or not even a pirate. Perhaps she was some sort of vagabond, or maybe the picture wasn't even of her mother at all. She would never know. Strangely enough, none of her crew knew either. The only connection she had to her mother were the drawings and the triangular piece of gold on a string she had around her neck.

Perhaps the reason Tetra was so dedicated to plundering every last corner of the Great Sea was to find some trace of her mother. Perhaps she didn't even care about the spoils at all. Or even being a pirate. Perhaps she coveted a more comfortable life. Perhaps she felt more connection with the hero in green than her aforementioned mother, who might as well not even existed. Perhaps Tetra didn't even need to exist.

Tetra shook her head, releasing herself from her stupor. One most not get caught up in perhapses. _You are Tetra, _she told herself, _the most fearsome pirate on the Great Sea. _She rousted herself from bed, stood up, and took a deep breath. She needed a distraction. She felt inspired. Who cares if it was late at night, and the crew was asleep? It was time to set sail, plunder in the night! Night is a highly effective time for plundering, after all!

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!" a voice cried out, muffled. It sounded like an old man. Not one that Tetra recognized. Certainly not one of her crew. She ran outside to see what the hubbub was about.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!" cried the voice once again, much clearer in the cloudless sea air. But where had it come from? The ship was in the middle of the ocean, away from any land. A boat, perhaps? Tetra quickly peered over the side of the ship, and sure enough, there was a boat. It was small, red, and shaped like a dragon.

But there was no passenger.

"Tetra!"

Indeed, the boat was talking. Tetra took a deep breath, trying to comprehend just what in Din's name was going on.

"Yes, I am a talking boat!" exclaimed the boat, indeed talking. "Get used to it! We have much to discuss!"

"Alright, um… okay." Tetra fumbled for a reply in this incredibly strange situation. "How do you know my name?"

The boat laughed. "My name is the King of Red Lions. And I know many things."

Tetra, not really knowing what else to do, hoisted the boat up using the pulley system for lifeboats, a standard of any large ship, really, even though they owned precisely zero lifeboats. The King told her all about pretty much everything, about Hyrule, about the legends of old, and about the King's failed plan to dress Link up as Zelda.

"I really messed up…" the boat said, hanging its head.

Tetra pardoned the author's accidental rhyme, and tried to make sense of all this. "What exactly do you want me to do about all this, huh? I'm just some pirate. What does this have to do with me at ALL?"

The King looked her dead in the eyes. "I need your help. To fix all this. To set things straight. To save Link from Ganon's grasp. I fear what he is suffering in the Forsaken Fortress. And besides… after you left him marooned in the ocean from your last trip to the Fortress, don't you think you owe the boy?"

Tetra felt attacked, her temperature rising. "Hey, don't point fingers at me! We were looking for him all night! You probably found him before we did! He's a kid, of course we weren't just going to leave him to drown!"

"Alright, alright, calm down." The King said, trying to reign her back. "That aside, don't you feel at least a little guilty?"

"Of course I do. But my question remains, what can I do?"

"We can save him." The King said, a splinter of hope in his wooden eye.

Tetra rolled her eyes. "Ahh yes, because our last two forays into the Forsaken Fortress were totally 100% completely fruitful. Right."

"Let me finish, girl!" The ship snapped. "We can't save him right now. You are correct, to rush in headfirst would be foolhardy. We have things to do first. A quest, if you will."

"What kind of quest?" Tetra inquired.

"The same kind of quest heroes have been going on for ages and ages. We have to collect three magical objects and then awaken the Master Sword. In this case, the objects are pearls. Ready? Okay, let's go."

"The MASTER Sword?" Tetra was reeling. "What do you expect to do with that?"

"For Goddess' sake can't any of you stupid children use your brain?" The ship sighed. "When I sent Link as Princess Zelda to kill Ganon, I forgot about the Master Sword. Which was incredibly stupid in retrospect, because it's the only thing that can actually kill Ganon. I would kick myself, if I actually had legs. We have no hope of saving Link without the Master Sword."

"So what, you want ME to use it?" Tetra said in disbelief.

"Exactly." The ship said matter-of-factly.

Recovering from more accidental rhyming, Tetra paused and took it all in. Her? Wielding the legendary blade of evil's bane? Suddenly, she felt like the most important person on the Great Sea.

"Alright." Tetra said, winking furtively at the King. "Let's do this. That stupid kid can't save himself, right?"

The King laughed. "That's the spirit, m'girl! Now, let us go onward, posthaste! To Dragon Roost Island!"

Tetra roused her crew with vigor, not even bothering to explain her inspired new motives. But her crew trusted her of course, they had to, she was the captain. With a newfound hope beating in her chest, Tetra stood atop the crow's nest and let the sunrise warm her skin.


	4. Pearls, Pearls, Pearls

"Farore's grace, your ship sails a lot faster than me." The King of Red Lions pointed out as the Pirate Ship ran ashore on the quaint beach of Dragon Roost Island.

"Our sail is just a little bit bigger." Tetra remarked, winking.

The great Dragon Roost, a giant towering volcano, loomed above them. Dark, angry zephyrs clouded the summit. It gave Tetra a very ominous feeling. It was evident that not everything was as it should be on Dragon Roost Island.

"What's the plan, cap'n?" Niko asked, excitedly. Maybe he would actually get to do something this time, and not just watch the ship.

"Nothing, for you." Tetra sassed. "And not just for Niko. I'm going on this mission alone."

The crew was shocked.

"B-b-but Miss Tetra!" Gonzo protested. "You can't just go it alone! We need to protect you!"

"Gonzo, don't you think I can handle myself? I'm practically a grown girl" Tetra argued, feigning innocence, then she quickly hardened. "Chill out. I'm your captain. I can handle myself. This is hardly a dangerous place, anyway. The Rito are nice. I even know one of them from our little outing at Outset. I don't want to seem too imposing by bringing all of you jokers along."

"If you insist." Gonzo said, heart still heavy with worry for his dear captain.

Tetra ignored him and turned to the King of Red Lions. "Alright, what exactly am I looking for again?"

"Din's Pearl." The King replied. "It's a big orange glowing sphere with the mark of Din on it. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it."

"Whatever you say." Tetra cleared her throat. "Alright, bozos! This shouldn't take long. Swab the deck or something 'til I get back, alright?"

"AYE AYE, CAP'N!" The crew shouted in reply, saluting.

"Good, good." Tetra winked at them and quickly jumped ashore.

She relaxed and breathed in the air as she felt the sand beneath her shoes. It was a welcoming feeling. Truly this was a friendly island.

She examined the island before her. There were a bunch of grey rocks blocking the path, ones that could probably be broken using bombs, but really who has time for that? The main thing Tetra learned from her life of pirating was that there was always an easier way out of pretty much anything.

To her right, there was a very scalable wall. Jackpot. What idiot would have taken the time to clear the rocks out of the way?

She used her catlike agility to quickly scale the short wall. Piece of cake. She went through a small rock arch and suddenly, there was the mailman from Outset. This was the easiest quest ever.

"Link!" The mailman said, facing oceanward, away from Tetra. "How is your sister? Surely you must have saved he-"

He turned around in an overdramatic fashion and was quickly surprised to see that it wasn't actually Link standing behind him, go figure.

"Din damn it all! That's the eighth time that's happened! I just want to look cool!" The mailman muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Tetra pestered, chuckling.

"Nothing." The mailman was blushing furiously. "What is your business here, you pointy-eared pirate?"

"I want Din's Pearl. Gimme." Tetra said, holding out her hand.

"A-are you joking?" The mailman scoffed. "We're not just going to give you Din's Pearl."

"Why the hell not?" said Tetra in a relaxed manner. She had this in the bag, she figured. "I need it to get the Master Sword and save the world and everything."

"Well then." The mailman was so confused. "Even if I did believe you, the Pearl belongs to Komali, the chief's son. And we wouldn't just give it awa-"

"The chief's son, you say? Thanks, that's all the information I need." Tetra quickly shoved the mailman out of the way and continued up a wooden ramp that led into the main entrance of the roost.

"EXCUUUUSE ME, MISS!" The mailman kept trying to force her back, but Tetra easily resisted. She was stronger than she looked.

Tetra stepped into the entrance, and inside was… a big mailroom.

"Is that really all these people do?" Tetra muttered to herself.

Standing in front of her were a small group of Rito, looking like they were talking about something important. One of them looked very chief-like, so she guessed that that must be the chief. Meaning business, she quickly approached the group.

"Chief Rito, I presume?" Tetra interrupted.

The chief glared at her. "What do YOU want, little girl?"

Tetra was too confident to be talked down to. "I would like to see your son, please."

"My son?" The chief scratched his chin. "Perhaps you could help him. He's been feeling awfully discouraged lately, and could use a bit of a pep talk."

Tetra suddenly felt extremely awkward. Encouragement wasn't exactly her strong suit. "Ummm… sure?"

"Oh, thank you so much!" The chief said, prematurely relieved. "You'll find him down that hallway, in his room moping."

"Well, that was easy." Tetra muttered to herself as she walked down the unnecessarily long hallway and found herself face-to-face with an extremely creepy door depicting a demonic face. Seriously, why the hell was this creepy face on the door to this kid's bedroom?

Tetra didn't bother knocking. She needed to get shit done, after all. Inside was a room that was covered almost completely in various kinds of pelts, and on lying on the pelt-blanketed bed was a Rito boy just younger than her, holding a big orange glowing sphere. Din's Pearl. Jackpot.

"Prince Komali?" Tetra inquired, mocking politeness.

"…What do you want?" Komali replied, sitting up.

Tetra looked him right in his timid eyes and spent no time beating around the bush. "I want that pearl. Give it to me now."

"Um… no." Komali said. "Please leave."

"Okay, kid, let's be real here for a second." Tetra sat down next to him. "If you don't give me that pearl, the world will probably end, and everything you've known and loved will be forever erased from existence, so maybe for just this once you could man the hell up and just give me the orb, alright? Make everyone's day easier? And if you're compliant enough, I may just give it back to you. Sound good?" She then held out her hand, expectant.

Komali didn't know what to think. He certainly didn't want everything he knew and loved to be erased from existence. Especially his crush, Medli. He didn't really know what was going on, but maybe it was actually about time for him to man the hell up.

"Maybe… maybe you're right." Komali admitted.

Tetra was honest-to-goodness surprised. She didn't expect to win THAT easily.

"I've just been sitting here moping over this stupid pearl. I can't just keep sitting here and whining. I'm not going to get my wings unless I go out and earn them, so that's what I'm going to do, Din dammit! Here, have this, I don't need it anyway. It's holding me back, to be quite honest." He stood and threw the pearl into Tetra's arms, and ran for the door. Before he opened it though, he turned. "Oh… and thanks. This has been a wake-up call. I don't know if I believe you about all that end-of-the-world nonsense, but I wish you luck on whatever your quest is. Even if you are some lousy pirate."

Then he burst out of the door and slammed it behind him. What a guy.

"Well, that was easy." Tetra said, admiring her new treasure. She figured it must have been worth tens of thousands of ruppees, but that's not what she was using it for. Although her approach was blunt, she was glad it has a positive effect on the kid. Then she opened the door and high-tailed it out of there. Suddenly, she was stopped by the chief.

"My son just darted past with a glint in his eye!" He said proudly. "Whatever you did, it worked! Thanks!"

"Yeah, don't mention it. I have my pearl, that's all I really care about." Tetra remarked.

The chief scratched his head as Tetra confidently strutted out of the roost. She made her way to the beach and climbed aboard her ship.

"Well?" The King of Red Lions inquired. "Back so soon?"

"Yeah, it was pretty easy…" Tetra said, showing off her new pearl.

"I seriously thought you would have to at least traverse at least one dungeon." The King said. "That's how it usually goes with these sorts of things."

"Nah, I got the prince to do it." Tetra replied.

"Well, that works too!" The King cleared his throat. "Alright, we have much more adventuring to do! Turn this ship southward!"

"Uh… we can't really." Tetra informed the King. "The wind isn't really blowing that way."

"Oh, right! I almost forgot!" The King turned its head and pulled out a sparkling white baton from pretty much nowhere. "Tetra, use this."

"What is it?" Tetra asked, grabbing the baton.

"It's a magical baton called the Wind Waker. As you may have guessed, this magical item will let you conduct the winds. Now time weren't of the essence, I would teach you how to conduct and what not, but since we're kind of in a hurry here and honestly I just stopped caring a long time ago, here is a piece of paper with all of the conducting patterns. Conduct the Ballad of Gales, and take us to the Forbidden Forest, please!"

"Uh… sure." Tetra was always on the side of convenience, so naturally she was okay with this. She looked at the very strange parchment, and it weirdly felt like it didn't really belong. It was ripped at the top and at the right edge like it had been torn out of some book. It wasn't a whole page. Tetra shook off the feeling and looked for the Ballad of Gales.

Tetra looked at the page quizzically. "Down, right, left, up? Um… okay, then." She waved the baton is a lazy, questionable fashion, but before they knew it a giant oceanic tornado sucked the entire ship into the air.

The harsh blowing of the wind drowned out all sound, except for the faint roar of a raging dragon.


End file.
